John comes on a bit strong at first; he plays the Hemingway bit. I think he’s very clever. I think he’s very talented and kind of refreshing.

• Sean Connery

Francis [Coppola][couldn’t tell a story like John. George [Lucas][ is a great storyteller; he couldn’t tell a story like John. None of us.

• Steven Spielberg

I think he likes the grandiose. He liked something that… borders on the line and pushing people to the edge where you go from reality to ridiculous, and sometimes the ridiculous is more fun.

• Clint Eastwood

John is such an interesting person and such a great storyteller just in life. Everything memorable of Apocalypse Now was invented by John Milius.

• Francis Ford Coppola

For over half a century John Milius has either written, directed, or written and directed some of the movies’ most memorable moments: I know what you’re thinking from Dirty Harry; the Indianapolis speech from Jaws; I love the smell of napalm in the morning from Apocalypse Now; and more. His films as director include Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, The Wind and the Lion, Flight of the Intruder, and Rough Riders. Drawn from nearly fifty years of personal encounters and interviews, and exploring his life and craft in a riveting Q&A format, Big Bad John is the first full-length book about this iconoclastic, battle-scarred, remarkable filmmaker.

Nat Segaloff has written books and/or produced documentaries on William Friedkin, Stan Lee, Larry King, Arthur Penn, Paul Mazursky, John Belushi, Stirling Silliphant, Harlan Ellison, Shari Lewis & Lamb Chop, and other figures. He lives in Los Angeles waiting for his phone calls to be returned.